Some things are just flat out expensive
- This topic has 13 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated Nov 24, 2008 at 7:25 pm by
.
-
Posts
-
I have been on a quest for both volumes of this book for some time – Rare and unusual fly tying materials: A natural history treating both standard and rare materials, their sources and geography, as used in classic, contemporary, and artistic trout and salmon flies (Hardcover) by Paul Schmookler and Ingrid V.Sils.
http://www.amazon.com/Rare-unusual-fly-tying-materials/dp/1886961018
Watch this ebay auction over the next day and don’t be surprised by the final bid price – Volumes one and two, signed by the authors. http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-AND-UNUSUAL-FLY-TYING-MATERIALS-BY-PAUL-SCHMOOKLER_W0QQitemZ280284712366QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAntiquarian_Collectible?hash=item280284712366&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
Unfortunately, it is always $450 or more (usually greater than $1,500 for each volume, yes that’s roughly $3,000 for the set). Thus I wait. Would look good on the tying desk though.
I don’t really have a point here. Just that some things are flat out expensive.
Wow Neal. I love books, especially old or rare ones. It’s the English major in me, I suppose. So your post intrigued me.
After reading your post, I thought this quest might be something like trying to find a pristine first of Izaak Walton’s Compleat Angler. I did a quick search to see what I could find and was surprised by two things: these volumes were published in 1994 (or 1997, depending on the citation) 😕 and I could find them (unsigned) for about $500 a volume 😮 on various used and collectible book sites online.
I guess I assumed these books would be of the old and collectible variety rather than the new and collectible variety (probably in part because of my own literary leanings – my academic focus is on the 17th and 18th centuries – and also probably because the title honestly sounded like it belonged to a 17th or 18th century treatise).
I’m a little surprised, really, that they are in such great demand with such a relatively recent first edition date. $1000 a set is spendy for such new books, regardless of how beautiful and informative they are (and they definitely appear to be both).
I first saw the two volume set at a conclave a few years ago and they are amazing works. The author(s) provide some of the most detailed coverage of rare tying materials I have read to date. Furthermore, the pictures are fantastic. It is the kind of book you could sit and read for hours or just look at the pictures and dream. This kind of writing is right up my alley – long, technical and heavy on the details. Very methodical – the kind of stuff you don’t see much nowadays. Since then I have watched ebay and other sources but amazingly they always sell at very high prices. Although the publication is fairly recent they are not running additional prints. It will be interesting to see what the complete two volume matched set with author signature will go for on ebay.
Wow Neal. I love books, especially old or rare ones. It’s the English major in me, I suppose. So your post intrigued me.
Any idea about what’s behind such a steep price?
Lauren,
I suspect its a pure numbers game.
Who needs the stock market! Buy rare books instead. Is ebay a good source for rare book values? shannon
Is ebay a good source for rare book values? shannon
Shannon, probably the best online source for used book values is abebooks.com. This is a worldwide online brokerage of book sellers. The prices listed for any given titles will give you a pretty good idea of the real market value of a book. Whereas Ebay, as an auction can give you some idea, many uninformed bidders pay way too much for some titles that can actually be bought for less.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.